Curious about a short-term research stay at another Helmholtz Center? Call for application is now OPEN!

The HIDA Trainee Network

The HIDA Trainee Network is a novel exchange program for doctoral and post-doctoral researchers who work at a Helmholtz Center and whose research has a strong connection to information or data sciences. The Helmholtz Information & Data Science Academy (HIDA) financially supports up to three-month long research stays at another Helmholtz Center.

With its Trainee Network program, HIDA promotes transfer of expertise in the field of Information & Data Science, fueling method exchange between groups from different Helmholtz Centers and research fields. Our goal is to spark collaborations between the centers and build an interdisciplinary community of data scientists.

THE BENEFITS:

FOR THE PARTICIPANTS: Gain interdisciplinary experience. Apply your data science skills at another center and bridge domains, learn new skills and expand your research portfolio.

FOR HOST CENTERS: Benefit from fresh ideas and methods from other domains or your own, build collaborations with data science talent nationwide.

FOR HOME CENTERS: Train your data science talent in new methods and skills from other research domains or your own, build collaborations with other centers.

The Grants

HIDA offers two funding options for trainee network participants:

1. Receivefunding for travel and material expenses (up to 2.000 EUR per month): For Helmholtz-internal doctoral and postdoctoral researcher (with active employment contracts with one of the centers throughout the duration of research stay).

2. Receive a research grant to finance your research stay (2.860 EUR per month plus subsidies). For scientists who already hold a doctorate degree and are affiliated with a Helmholtz Center (but are formally employed at a university or other partner organization). This option is also available to postdocs who have a contract with one of the Helmholtz Centers.

PLEASE NOTE: The recipient of our HIDA research grant is released from his or her duties by the sending institution. The guarantee of a tax-free research grant is excluded if an active employment exists during the funding period. The basic amount of the grant is calculated in such way that it includes an amount for adequate living of the grant holder. Additional subsidies are possible. Please have a closer look in our Guidelines for Research Grants.

The call for application is open until June 30, 2020 (for planned research stays until end of 2021). The review process might take approximately 3 months, thus the earliest start date for your planned exchange might be late autumn 2020. If you apply now and your application is granted, your exchange can also take place in 2021.

PS: Rest assured, we closely observe the current developments related to COVID-19. If you like to plan a digital exchange with a research group at another Helmholtz Center instead and need some support there (e.g. software tools), please contact us.

SELECTION

All applications are checked by the HIDA Office to ensure that they are completed and admissible (preselection). Participants are then selected by a selection committee on the basis of the application submitted. The selection committee consists of the HIDA Steering Committee, which is composed of representatives of the Helmholtz research fields and the Helmholtz Information & Data Science Schools.

The funding is awarded in particular on the basis of the applicant’s motivation, the quality and originality of the project, and its basic feasibility within the timeframe of the planned research stay. Furthermore, a connection to data or information science and the added value for the research portfolio of the Helmholtz Association must be clearly evident. The funding approval is made in agreement with the centers.

FINAL REPORT AND CERTIFICATE

At the end of your research stay at another Helmholtz Center, applicants are asked to provide HIDA with a report of their activity at the host center. The final report should be submitted to the HIDA Office within 3 months of completing the research stay. Upon receipt of the final report, the HIDA Office will send a certificate of participation in the HIDA Trainee Network. Detailed information will follow.